Mémorial du 19 Août 1942

The Mémorial du 19 Août 1942 (Memorial August 19, 1942) commemorates the failed Anglo-Canadian raid on the German-occupied coastal town of Dieppe, and the loss of life that occurred there on August 19, 1942. Codenamed Operation Jubilee, the raid involved the participation of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division led by Major General J.H. Roberts. With the goal of capturing and holding Dieppe for a short time and destroying port facilities, the operation was intended to test German defences along the French coast, degrade German forces, and experiment with coordinated land, sea, and air forces in preparation for future amphibious landings and a cross-channel invasion of France.

Landing the morning of August 19, the Allied forces were largely pinned down and destroyed on the beaches by elevated German artillery and gun emplacements. Many tanks were caught and wrecked in the water and on the shingle, with those which did make it up to the town unable to advance. Of the 4 963 Canadian soldiers which formed part of the landing force, 907 were killed, 2,460 were wounded, and 1,946 were taken prisoner. With a high cost, the raid’s failure demonstrated to Allied military leaders the difficulty of a successful amphibious landing against fortified coastal defenses and emphasised the importance of accurate intelligence, communication between landing forces and commanders, naval artillery support, and air superiority. These lessons would be employed in later amphibious landings in North Africa and Italy, and on D-Day.

The Mémorial du 19 Août 1942 is located at the Place Camille Saint-Saëns inside a former theatre known as the Théâtre Italien for its Italian architecture; built in 1826 and closed in 1960, the building was chosen to be repurposed as a museum commemorating the Dieppe Raid in 2001 and was opened in June 2002. The memorial contains documents, uniforms and military equipment, archived pictures of events, and audio and visual testimonies from the combat on August 19, and commemorates the loss of life. Military uniforms and period flags represent each nationality which took part in the raid, including Canadian and British forces as well as soldiers, sailors, and airmen from the United States, France, Poland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Across the street from the memorial is the Canadian War Memorial which commemorates the dead and missing as well as the visit of Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King to Dieppe in 1946.